A book review blog that features historical fiction and cozy mysteries with a little bit of everything in between....

Review Policy/ Ratings Policy

Review Policy:

Information for Authors, Agents, & Publishers

**I am accepting books for review at this time. Please email the information to girllostinabook@hotmail.com Please note that I am only selecting a very few to review at this time. (6/24/2013)**

*I would be happy to accept books for review, including ARCs. I will
accept physical copies and digital copies. I own both a Nook and a Kindle, but I prefer reading on my Kindle. So please try to keep this in mind.

*Please send me a synopsis of the book so I can determine if it is a
genre I can honestly review. My primary interests are cozy mysteries,
historical mysteries, some historical romance (no bodice rippers or
Harlequins, please), some fantasy (no vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc. please) and historical fiction. I am open to
most other genres except: I do NOT do horror/thrillers, I am NOT
interested in paranormal romance, and I am not terribly inclined towards
YA. If you are doing a reissue of any vintage mysteries or British
literature and would like a review of your particular edition, I would
be very interested.

*All reviews posted on my site will be based purely on my honest opinion and will be represented as such. I will be completely honest in my
review and if my opinion is negative I will make every effort to offer
constructive criticism. By offering me a copy of your book to review,
you agree to my policy of honest review and agree that I may post my
review publicly on this blog (http://girllostinabook.blogspot.com), on Librarything, and other review sites as I see fit. If you wish to use any
of my comments as promotional material, you agree to obtain my
permission first.

*I will make every effort to finish every book offered to me for
review. However, it has been my experience (few and far between) that
there are books that I simply could not finish. If for any reason I
cannot finish your book, I will give reasons and will state clearly that
it is my opinion only.

* I agree that I will not receive compensation for my reviews in
monetary form. Per FTC regulations I will post a disclaimer
with each review I do for an author, agent or publisher. I will not
resell any book given to me for review. I may, however, offer it up to
friends or through a give-away on my blog and you agree to allow me to do so.

You can email all requests to girllostinabook@hotmail.com. I will contact you directly via email if I am interested in reviewing your book. Also if you have any questions or concerns, you can email me with them. Thanks.

Review Rating Policy:

The
rating I give a book is based mainly on my enjoyment level. Review
ratings are done on a 0 to 5 scale, half-ratings included. Here's what they mean:

0 Stars: Did not finish. I will not post these reviews on this blog but will add them to my Librarything account.

1 Star: I didn't like this book -- felt more like homework than reading for pleasure.

2 Stars: This book needed something different to make me like it.

3 Stars: This book was good. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I would recommend based on certain tastes.

4 Stars: This book was delightful. I'm glad I read it.

5 Stars: I really enjoyed this book. I will probably read it again.

5+ Stars: A new favorite.

Honesty
in reviewing is my top priority. I also strive to be fair and
courteous, as I realize that a book that doesn't work for me might be
enjoyable to others. Also, I choose what I will review and will not review.

I love your blog and wanted to suggest a funny, as in droll, irreverent, non-PC funny, amateur sleuth mystery for your reading pleasure. Small Town Trouble is the first in a mystery series by Jean Erhardt that features Kim Claypoole, restaurateur, reluctant heroine and amateur sleuth with moxie galore. The eBook has been #1 in the Amazon Kindle Amateur Sleuth category for 18 weeks now. The more recently released paperback version of Small Town Trouble is catching up and is in the top 5% of paperbacks on Amazon.

In Small Town Trouble, we meet Kim Claypoole and get acquainted with her irreverent and witty ways of dealing with the peculiar characters and events that she regularly finds in her life. Claypoole's adventures begin as she leaves her home in the Smoky Mountains to help save her kooky mother Evelyn from financial disaster. In the first scene of Small Town Trouble Claypoole says, "I'd had a feeling all along that this wasn't going to be my day. But I hadn't been prepared for things to go this badly..."

Setting off to assist Evelyn (i.e., "the other Scarlett O'Hara") with her newest personal crisis, Claypoole leaves in her wake her Gatlinburg doublewide, her restaurant, The Little Pigeon, and her restaurant partner and sometimes best friend Mad Ted Weber as well as a budding secret love affair with a Martha Stewart wannabe that's hotter than an Eskimo in July. Claypoole's savior complex leads to more trouble when she bumps into an old flame in her hometown who asks for her help clearing her hapless brother of murder charges. In true Claypoole fashion, Kim gets more than she bargained for when she gets dragged into a complicated quest to find the true killer complete with topless tavern dancers, small town cops, a stream of backwater characters-even a meeting with the Grim Reaper. Can Claypoole muddle her way through the murky depths of this bizarre murder mystery before it's too late? With biting humor and wit, Small Town Trouble will leave you guessing what's around the next corner in the quirky life of Kim Claypoole. A review copy of Small Town Trouble in any eBook format can be sent promptly. It is available in paperback and eBook at independent booksellers, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Jean Erhardt is a former private detective, and her second book in the Kim Claypoole series is due out in Spring 2014. Jean is currently is working on the fifth book in her Kim Claypoole series and is also writing the first book in a new series which is set in Portland, Oregon and features Haley Hammel, a private investigator who always seems to find more trouble than she is looking for.

You can find out more about Jean on her website, http://www.jeanerhardt.com/ or her Facebook page,https://www.facebook.com/JeanErhardtAuthor which also has links to interviews and guest posts that Jean has done.Please contact Elle Grounds at Elle Grounds Literary Group (503.740.1771) or ellegrounds@gmail.com for further information.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Your comments and recommendations are very important to me and I personally read every comment and will reply directly on the post. If you wish to receive a reply by email, please tell me so in your comment. Please leave a blog address if you have one and I will check it out. Happy reading!

About

I am a 32 year old bookworm and I'm proud of it. I have a love of historical fiction and cozy mysteries, but I will read a lot of different genres as well. I love to read and love to get recommendations on books. You will always find me with my nose in a book. My hope is that this blog leads to your next great read!